Let’s start by saying clearly that there is no such thing as “safe ice”. By driving or even walking on a frozen lake, you assume a certain amount of risk. This risk is greatly mitigated by taking some precautions and learning from the advice of those who have checked ice for years. Educate yourself by studying an ice strength table, such as this Ice Strength Table by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
WALKING
I. Seeing someone else out on the ice does not automatically mean it is safe. The ice sheet changes throughout the day due to the sun, temperature change, and water currents.
II. Once the temperature has been above freezing for 24 consecutive hours, the sheet is considered unstable, as the surface will have broken up. Stay off the ice in these circumstances!
III. Stay away from areas of known water inlets or outlets, including dams, streams, and springs. These all have a dramatic effect on ice depth and quality.
IV. The area near the shore will often have thinner ice than the rest of the lake. It is not recommended that you park or spend much time at the lake’s edge, despite the perception of safety.
V. SCCV will not hold an event on a lake until we find 12 inches of quality ice. Ice quality is a moving target. There are two types of ice: black and white. Black ice is dense, solid ice (frozen water), whereas white ice is frozen, packed snow. Experts say white ice has roughly half the strength of black ice due to trapped air in the ice, and this is factored in when measuring ice for an event.
VI. Cracks in the ice are part of life on a frozen lake. There are two types of cracks: dry and wet. Dry cracks do not go all the way through and are not really a problem. Wet cracks go the depth of the ice sheet, have water coming up through (usually looks like a slushy spot), and indicate instability in the ice sheet. It is not recommended that you rely on the strength of the ice on or near a wet crack. An area riddled with dry cracks indicates significant movement or swelling in the ice sheet; extra caution should be used in these areas.
VII. If you find a thin spot in front of you (by whacking through the ice in front of you with your chisel), return on the exact path you walked out on and wait for another day.
DRIVING AND PARKING
I. It is not recommended that you park closer than 20 feet from another car. This takes discipline, as you will want to sit in your warm car while talking about how much fun you’re having with your new best friend, who is also sitting in their warm car right next to you between runs. Remember what our course is made of….water!
II. The ice strength tables assume a slow-moving vehicle for their estimates, not a super-studded WRX. This is why we wait for the extra margin. A fast-moving vehicle can create a wake under the ice, which could make things unsafe on marginal ice thickness.
III. High performance driving must be limited to the designated course. This takes discipline, self-enforcement, and community-enforcement. The lake is public, and we all need to respect how our behavior looks to someone who does not like cars or noise. Perception is reality.
IV. Club motorsports implies a certain amount of ownership of the events by its participants, so if you see someone doing something they shouldn’t be… say something! This implies, alcohol, drugs, unsafe driving, etc. Since the lake is a public highway, all cars need to be 100% street-legal. The police periodically check vehicles’ paperwork and inspection stickers.
V. SCCV insists that your vehicle be LEAK-FREE. We want to be good stewards of this natural resource, and you should too. We want to be able to use these venues for generations to come, and the team is only as strong as its weakest link. If your car develops a leak at any time, the event stops immediately and we address the issue as a team. The goal is to safely remove the leaking car from the ice ASAP (this can mean dragging your car with a cracked transmission case off the lake with the plow truck). It does not mean you are in trouble, so please let an official know right away. Along those lines, dumping your coffee on to the lake can have the same bad effect as an oil spill. Again, perception is reality.
VI. You should always drive with your headlights on while on the ice. Visibility can change rapidly on the lake. You may want to develop the habit of turning them on any time the vehicle is running.